Jean-Pierre Descombes died at the age of 76 from Parkinson’s disease, we learned on Monday.
He was the host of “Jeux de 20 Heures” from 1976 to 1987 on FR3, but also the voice of “Just Price” and “Une famille en or” on TF1.
This was France in the 1970s and 1980s. Jean-Pierre Descombes, who hosted The 8pm Games on FR3 from 1976 to 1987, died on Sunday, June 30, at the age of 76, from Parkinson’s disease. The presenter had suffered from this neurological condition for more than ten years. He died at home, according to his son Romain Descombes.
Jean-Pierre Descombes was not only The 8pm Games, very popular show that he co-presented with, among others, Maître Capello. He was the voice-over for other successful entertainment shows in the 1980s and 1990s, such as The right price et A gold family on TF1. From 2018, he had participated in Cyril Hanouna’s shows on C8, such as Do not touch My TV ! or The big laugh.
The Games of“8 p.m. was a flagship program from the end of the 1970s. Born at a time when there were only three channels in France, it competed with the television news of TF1 and Antenne 2. “When they saw the news in the summary (of the news), people switched to the 3“, the host recalled in 2023, interviewed on Jordan De Luxe’s celebrity show on C8. In these Games, general knowledge questions were asked to celebrities on set and to anonymous candidates via duplex from a provincial town. The show was co-presented by Jean-Pierre Descombes, microphone in hand in the audience from the province, and other hosts on set, including Marc Menant, Jean-Pierre Foucault, Harold Kay and the referee Maître Capello. After their last number in early 1987, the show was replaced by another that would become very popular, The classpresented by Fabrice.
During the holidays, I helped my father go to the markets, but in my head, I already wanted to be an entertainer.
Jean-Pierre Descombes
Originally from Romans-sur-Isère, the shoe capital, in Drôme, where his parents were salesmen, Jean-Pierre Descombes had “always dreamed of being an animator”. “During the holidays, I helped my father go to the markets, but in my head, I already wanted to be an entertainer”he told Jordan De Luxe, visibly diminished by Parkinson’s. In the 2000s, he had retrained in hosting trade fairs, events in shopping centers or galas such as the tour of former glories of the 1960s and 1970s Tender age and wooden head in 2012. “For 5-6 years, I opened all the large furniture stores in France, I was in all the supermarkets (…) I told people “We’re going to play like we do on TV!”, he amused himself, assuring that he took the same pleasure in the public as in the days of his fame.
Father of two boys and a girl, Jean-Pierre Descombes has long “try to hide” his illness, then was forced to reveal it after an appearance on a Cyril Hanouna show. “I was the last one to go, at 1am, and the pills I had taken were no longer working (…) That’s when it became apparent and I couldn’t hide it anymore, because the cameras were there”he explained.
